(1) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a dispenser for storing an elongated flexible article in coiled form and more specifically to a dispenser for facilitating the deployment of that article from storage.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Dispensers for deploying elongated flexible articles from coiled storage contain a variety of articles including hoses, ropes, cables, electrical conductors and combinations of such articles and are useful in many diverse applications. The phrase "elongated flexible article" is meant to include any such article or combination.
These elongated flexible articles have a widely varying characteristics usually dictated by the nature of an application. In some, coiling produces internal bending stresses that tend to straighten the article unless the coil is restrained; other articles do not produce such internal bending stresses and stay in coiled form without restraint. Coiling may also produce internal torsional stresses in some articles. These stresses can cause the article to tangle, kink or knot as it deploys from a dispenser. Even where coiling does not introduce such internal stresses, deployment of the article may produce tangles, kinks or knots as a loose or overlying turn in the coil overlaps another.
In certain applications the dispenser must satisfy additional criteria. These criteria include a high level of deployment reliability and a smooth and quiet deployment. A smooth deployment occurs when the force required to deploy the article remains essentially constant. A quiet deployment occurs when the noise generated during deployment is insignificant in comparison to noises from other sources.
The following patents disclose dispensers for minimizing the possibility of tangles during deployment of some elongated flexible articles:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,243 (1942) Zierden PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,996 (1959) Kollmann PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,644 (1970) Martin PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,121 (1989) Kodaka et al PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,789 (1990) Milburn PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,138 (1989 ) Kettearing PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,122 (1990 ) Bannai PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,124 (1964) Chevillon PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,538 (1985) Hollmann et al
Zierden discloses a dispenser for an elongated flexible article in the form of a garden hose. Zierden's dispenser comprises a cup-shaped housing with a central hub that forms an open, annular storage volume for the hose. A cover, positioned under the housing during storage and deployment, allows the housing to rotate as the hose, that is relatively stiff axially, feeds into or from the housing. The cover closes the opening for storage purposes.
The Kollmann patent discloses a dispenser for a garden hose having the form of a partially closed basket that encompasses the circumference of a coiled hose. The dispenser relies on the natural tendency of the garden hose to straighten itself thereby to displace the hose outwardly against the basket.
In dispensers of the type shown in the Zierden and Kollmann patents, individual turns of the hose can be located at random positions in the coil. This random turn positioning can occur during winding and during storage if the dispenser is subject to movement or shock. During deployment, particularly along a horizontal axis, one turn may slide or slip over another to produce random turn positioning. Whenever random positioning occurs, deployment is likely to produce unwanted tangles, kinks or knots in the deployed article.
The Martin patent discloses a stowage device for a cable stored as a single layer coil that is coaxial with an axis along which cable deployment occurs. The cable connects between an aircraft ejection seat and a sear for firing a rocket pack attached to the seat. This stowage apparatus comprises a plate with a spiral channel that receives the cable and radially extending frangible retaining strips to lock the cable into the spiral channel and prevent inadvertent movement and entanglement. As the cable deploys from successive turns, it fractures the frangible strips in succession to provide an orderly deployment without tangles, kinks or knots.
The Kodaka et al and Milburn patents disclose structures for retaining relatively stiff fiber optic cables in a coiled form for deployment. Kodaka et al specifically disclose open-ended annular cable tanks. Milburn et al discloses a structure with first and second chambers separated by a divider. This is a completely enclosed structure in which the fiber optic cable is apparently wound in two single layer coils separated by the divider.
Dispensers of the type shown in the Martin and Milburn patents provide structures that store a flexible elongated article in a coil that can be coaxial with a horizontal deployment axis. However, breaking of the frangible devices in the Martin structure in succession produces uneven tension forces on the cable during deployment, so the deployment is not smooth. The movement of the various elements of the Milburn patent can produce unacceptable noise levels. Dispensers of the type shown in the Zierden, Kollmann and Kodaka patents store articles that are relatively stiff so internal forces cause the individual turns radially outward against a cylindrical wall or retaining structure. If it is desired to store and deploy an elongated flexible article that does not produce such stresses, the foregoing dispensers may not be useful, particularly if the deployment axis is horizontal. Under such circumstances deployment of one turn could displace another turn into a random position with the potential for tangles, kinks or knots.
The following patents disclose dispensers for storing articles in a coiled form with components for reducing noise during use:
The Kettearing patent discloses an elongated flexible article, in the form of a signal cable, between concentric devices that can undergo limited relative rotation. The signal cable lies in a spiral between support bands with protective bands that follow the shape of a spiral thereby to space the structure from the relatively rotating portions. The Bannai patent discloses a structure for a similar application in which flexible fingers expand radially outward and inward on the inside and outside respectively of a coiled flat cable thereby to space the cable from the surrounding storage structure for the purpose of reliability and noise reduction. Neither of these patents disclose a dispenser for storing and deploying the stored elongated flexible article.
Although this invention can be used in a variety of applications, it is particularly adapted for storing and deploying an elongated flexible article in the form of a flexible hose containing a communication cable that deploys when a submarine launches a torpedo. In this application a dispenser assembly mounts to the rear of the torpedo for storage by means of a quick release mechanism. The torpedo is loaded into the torpedo tube with the dispenser assembly attached. The dispenser is then released from the torpedo and locked into the torpedo tube by adjustable side locks. When the torpedo is fired, it pulls the flexible hose from the dispenser. The flexible hose releases from the torpedo after the flexible hose is fully dispensed.
The general use of dispensers in this application are disclosed in the following patents:
The Chevillon patent discloses a torpedo that is launched from horizontal launching rails. A dispenser moves axially along the rails until the torpedo leaves the launching apparatus whereupon the launching apparatus restrains the dispenser and allows a communication cable, as an elongated flexible article, to deploy from the dispenser with the torpedo. The Hollmann patent discloses a launching apparatus which discloses the use of a dispenser attached to the aft end of a torpedo. When the torpedo is launched, it detaches from the dispenser and deploys the communication cable. Neither patent discloses the details of the dispenser construction.
Conventional dispensers for such communication cables include a central hub and a concentric cylindrical wall and transverse radially extending base that form an open-ended annular storage volume for storing a flexible, cable-containing hose in a multiple-turn, multiple-layer coil. Restraining bands, in the form of elastic O-rings or the like, traverse the storage volume proximate the open end to capture the turns in the storage volume. During deployment, the flexible hose is led from the storage area between the hub and restraining bands. As the hose deploys with a torpedo, the hose stretches the elastic restraining means to allow individual turns to be withdrawn from their respective wraps. This dispenser provides a smooth and quiet deployment. However, the coiled cable is subject to tangling, knotting or kinking because the individual coil turns are subject to random turn positioning while the flexible hole is coiled, during storage and handling and during deployment.
In an alternative, the dispenser includes a metal partition in the storage volume to define nearly continuous concentric channels throughout the storage volume. The partitions are cylindrical in form, but are spaced at one location to form a transition area that allows the flexible hose to transfer between adjacent channels. In addition, the partitions extend axially through the entire coil, so they form continuous deep channels for receiving the flexible hose to produce multiple-turn, multiple-layer coils in which corresponding turns across adjacent layers are aligned and separated from adjacent turns. Dimpled portions in the partitions proximate each free end of a partition partially close each channel. As the flexible hose deploys, the dimpled portion and/or flexible hose deforms to release the flexible hose from the channel. However, the partitions do not easily deflect radially. As a result the force deploying the flexible hose varies greatly and produces tension spikes as the flexible hose pulls past each dimpled portion. Moreover, deployment produces a pattern of audible clicking noises. Consequently while this structure prevents individual turns from positioning, it does not deploy a flexible hose smoothly or quietly.